Lemon squeezer



June 2, 1970 s, B, ALDRIDGE 3,515,057

LEMON SQUEEZER Filed Oct. 6, 4967 Silas B. Aldridge INVENTOR.

26 T o 6 T ./a 24 l United States Patent 3,515,057 LEMON SQUEEZER Silas B. Aldridge, Brunswick, Ga. (1138 Chestnut St., Gadsden, Ala. 35901) Filed Oct. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 673,480 Int. Cl. B30!) 9/06 US. Cl. 100-126 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tray for a lemon wedge which not only holds the wedge but facilitates carrying and handling it. It is V- shaped and has a juice discharge port inwardly of one end wall. This end wall has an overhanging toothed jaw. The other end wall carries a spring-loaded plunger rod equipped with a toothed jaw slidable in the tray. The

movable jaw is retracted and the lemon wedge is lodged in place. By moving the finger-grips toward each other, the lemon wedge is squeezed and the juice is discharged.

This invention relates to a manually manipulable small article holder which is expressly designed and constructed to accommodatingly hold, handle and squeeze the juice from a lemon wedge and has to do, more particularly, with a tray-like receiver equipped with fixed and movable jaws between which the lemon wedge is lodged and forcibly pressed to squeeze the juice for convenient use.

The implement shown is of a shape and size that the lemon wedge can be readily inserted and temporarily gripped so that it can be transported and handled with finesse and appropriateness at ones table or wherever else it may be publicly used. The certainty of retention and mode of use allows the rind of the lemon slice to buckle upwardly as the respective ends are pressed and squeezed together. The general contour and appearance is such that the receiver resembles a lemon wedge and makes the manner of use virtually self-explanatory. The squeezing and jaw action step is natural and progressive in that the thumb and fingers move toward each other in a self-evident manner. The component parts can be made of corrosion resistant stainless steel or, in the case of a single use or throw-away type, economical materials can be used. When squeezing, only the exteriorly arranged grips come into play.

It is within the purview of the concept to construct the device for use as a novelty for gift shops with the surfaces of the primary walls embossed or with printed matter for advertising. Restaurants and appropriate places of business can and no doubt will adopt this innovation as a carry-home or give-away item. The receiver need not be made of rigid stock so long as the ridge or rib at the bottom is rigid. Then, too, for disposable types the springbiasing means could be dispensed with and friction-held plunger rod could be used.

Briefly, the main or body part of the squeezer is of onepiece form and is fashioned into and provides an elongated receiver whose receptacle portion provides a tray for reception and retention of the squeezable lemon wedge. This receiver is characterized by a pair of opposed longitudinal side walls with upper curvate edges and which converge inwardly and downwardly and have lower lengthwise edge portions which are joined together to provide a ridge. These side walls have forward ends joined by a first end wall which may be triangulate and whose inwardly facing side is concave. The upper edge is serrated to provide teeth. This toothed edge or lip overhangs the adjacent end portion of the tray. The rearward ends of the side walls are joined by a second end wall which may be triangulate and which is provided with a bearing hole and an aligned socket member. The socket member serves to accommodate a slidable portion of a push-pull plunger rod. The rearward end of the rod has an appropriate thumb piece to cooperate with finger-grips on an end portion of the socket member. A portion of the rod projects into the tray of the receiver and is enlarged to provide a guide which is operable in a bearing hole in the adjacent end wall. The guide is connected to and serves to shift an integral member which constitutes a movable jaw.

It is within the purview of the invention to provide a spring-loaded washer in the socket member and which assists in utilizing the plunger in an effective lemon slice holding and squeezing manner.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a lemon squeezer constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention and with the component parts in normal position and relationship.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the squeezer shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a central longitudinal view with parts in section and elevation taken approximately on the plane of the section line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section on the section line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The component part which is herein designated as a receiver and which is of one-piece construction is denoted generally by the numeral 6. It is characterized by a pair of spaced opposed substantially duplicate longitudinal side walls 8 having upper curvate or suitably arched edges 10. The side walls converge downwardly and have adjacent lengthwise edges joined together to provide a ridge 12. It follows that the receiver is thus substantially V- shaped in cross section whereby the receptacle or tray portion lends itself to reception and retention of a lemon wedge as denoted generally at A in FIG. 3. The forward transverse end wall is denoted by the numeral 14 and it may be said to be generally triangulate in configuration. It is also of concavoconvex form and the concave side 16 faces the tray or receptacle portion. The upper overhanging edge 18 is serrated to provide anti-slipping teeth 20. This toothed edge is conveniently referred to as an anti-slipping lip which overhangs the lemon wedge and assists in facilitating the pressing, buckling and squeezing step. More explicitly toothed end Wall constitutes a relatively stationary jaw toward and from which a suitably matching relatively movable jaw 22 is slidable. The jaw 22 is of appropriate contour and is shiftable in the tray or receptacle portion and it too is preferably concave and has a toothed edge 24 to achieve the full anti-slipping step. The lower part of the movable jaw is provided with an integral generally cylindrical component which is here described as a guide member 26. This guide member is adapted to slide into a bearing hole 28 which is provided therefor in the triangulate rearward or transverse end wall 30. The aforementioned socket member 32 is an integral component part and is carried by and projects outwardly from the bearing hole 28 and is provided with a plurality of apertures as at 34 and 36 to facilitate washing and rinsing the squeezer when necessary.

The movable jaw operating plunger is denoted, generally stated, by the numeral 38. It comprises a suitable rod 40 one end of which is joined with the guide member. This rod is slidable through a guide opening 42 in the right-hand or inward end of the socket member. The rod terminates in an appropriately shaped thumb-piece 44. This thumb-piece cooperates with a pair of outstanding diametrically opposite finger-grips 46 and 48 carried by the socket member. It is desirable to utilize the socket member as an enclosure or housing for a coil spring 50 (FIG. 3) which bears against a follower Washer 52 which surrounds the rod. i

As is evident, it is believed, from FIGS. 1 and 2 the coil spring biases the over-all plunger 38 to assume the position wherein the movable jaw 22 is normally located in the median part of the tray or receptacle portion of the receiver. By catching hold of the socket member 32 and retracting the plunger rod to assume the position substantially suggested in FIG. 3 the receiver or tray portion is fully open. Then the slice or wedge can be lodged in the receptacle portion or tray after which the plunger can be released causing the spring-loaded jaw to keep the lemon slice in place in readiness for squeezing. When the fingers are placed against the finger-grips 46 and 48 and thumb pressure is exerted on the thumb-piece 44 the sliding jaw comes into play and squeezes the lemon wedge whereupon the extracted juice is permitted to discharge through the discharge port 54 just inwardly of the stationary jaw 14.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A manually manipulatable lemon holding, handling and squeezing implement comprising, in combination, a one-piece elongated tray-like receiver, said receiver being V-shaped in transverse cross-section and embodying opposed longitudinal side walls having their respective ends cooperatively connected by transverse end walls, the lower longitudinal edges of said side walls converging and being integrally joined together, one of said end walls constituting a stationary end thrust jaw against which a coacting end of the lemon can be forcibly pressed and squeezed, said one end wall being concave and having an upper serrated free edge providing a toothed antislipping lip, a relatively movable lemon-engaging, clamping and pressure-applying jaw slidingly mounted in the tray portion of said receiver and adapted to be shifted toward and away from said stationary jaw, said movable jaw having an upper edge fashioned into a lip which is deflected toward said toothed anti-slipping lip and is also provided with similar anti-slipping teeth, a manually actuatable plunger rod having a portion slidingly mounted in the end wall opposite to said one end wall and connected with said relatively movable pressure applying jaw and having an outer rearward end provided with a fixed rigid thumb piece, and finger-grips carried by said lastnamed end wall, said thumb piece being movable toward and from said finger-grips.

2. A lemon wedge holding and handling squeezer comprising an elongated receiver which is V-shaped in transverse section and embodies a pair of opposed longitudinal side walls converging inwardly and downwardly and joined together and defining a lengthwise inverted ridge, said side walls having forward ends joined by a first substantially triangulate end wall which is concave and has an upper overhanging toothed edge, the rearward ends of said side walls being joined by a second triangulate end wall which is substantially centrally provided with a bearing hole and an axially aligned integrally attached outstanding socket member, a plunger rod having a guide'member at a forward end aligned with and slidable in said bearing and a thumb-grip at its rearward end, said rod being slidably mounted in said socket member, said forward end wall constituting a lemon wedge engaging stationary jaw, and a complemental relatively movable jaw fixed to said guide member and shiftable in the tray portion of said receiver toward and from said stationary jaw.

3. The squeezer defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein said socket member is provided with diametrically opposite outstanding finger-grips.

4. The squeezer defined in and according to claim 2, and wherein said socket member is provided with diametrically opposite outstanding finger-grips, said socket member being provided with apertures and being interiorly provided with a confined biasing coil spring, and a follower washer encircling a coacting portion of the rod and interposedbetween said spring and an adjacent end of said guide member.-

5. A lemon wedge holder and squeezer comprising an elongated tray-like receiver having a V-shaped juice trapping and collecting receptacle portion for reception and retention of a lemon wedge or the like, said receiver embodying a pair of opposed longitudinal side walls having lower longitudinal edges converging and being integrally joined together and forward ends joined by a first end wall having an upper edge projecting above and overhanging an adjacent end of the receptacle portion and terminating in anti-slipping teeth, the rearward ends of said side walls being joined by a second end wall which is substantially centrally provided with a bearing hole and an axially aligned integrally attached outstanding socket member, a plunger rod having guide means aligned with and slidable in said bearing and having a rearward end provided with thumb gripping means, said guide member and an adjacent end portion of said rod being slidably mounted in said socket member, 'said forward end wall constituting a fixed jaw, and a complemental jaw movable relative to said fixed jaw and having a major portion confined in and shiftable back and forth in the receptacle portion of said receiver, said socket member being cylindrical in cross-section and being provided at an outer end thereof with a pair of outstanding rigid finger-grips toward and from which said thumb grip can be moved whereby to permit two fingers to be engaged with the finger-grips and the thumb with the thumb grip in a manner to conveniently hold the device and operate said movable jaw.

. References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 192,301 6/1877 Spencer -213 276,424 4/1883 Kelly et a1. 100-213 625,838 5/1899 Devore 100213 626,626 6/1899 Middlekauff 1002l,3 X 1,699,801 1/1929 Montgomery 128-320 1,835,966 12/1931 Pochyla. A 2,037,553 4/1936 Wagner 100213 X FOREIGN PATENTS 820,853 8/ 1937 France.

WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner L. G. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner 

